Beyond the Viewfinder: How One Cinematographer Pioneered 3D Location Scouting With XGRIDS 3DGS

Case Studies2025.08.228 min read

Veteran cinematographer Roberto Schaefer's adoption of XGRIDS' 3D Gaussian Splatting technology demonstrates how established professionals can leverage emerging tools to solve persistent industry challenges. Through cultural documentation and international film location scouting, Schaefer validated practical applications that extend beyond typical virtual production use cases.

Featuring: Roberto Schaefer, ASC, AIC

Credits: Finding Neverland, Quantum of Solace, The Kite Runner, Monster's Ball

Executive Summary

Key Outcomes:

Enabled remote film planning for locations, reducing costly travel
Created virtual museum tours for cultural preservation
Demonstrated collaborative planning with 2cm measurement accuracy
Sparked "instant brainstorming sessions" for a director reviewing virtual locations

The Challenge: Traditional Scouting Limitations

"I have always been interested in new tech and how it can be applied to filmmaking," Schaefer explains, "but only if it is something that can help me in my attempts to express my visual emotions."

The cinematographer faced recurring challenges in traditional production workflows that plague the industry:

Multiple costly location visits for planning, blocking, and team coordination
Limited team collaboration on remote or expensive locations
Time constraints when locations charge daily fees or have restricted access
Communication gaps between department heads working from different locations

These issues became particularly acute during COVID-era restrictions and budget-conscious independent productions.

The Discovery: NAB 2024 Catalyst

Schaefer's "ah-ha moment" occurred at NAB 2024 when he encountered Lightcraft JetSet demonstration combined with 3D scanning technology:

"It happened for me at the NAB in 2024 when I saw the Lightcraft booth and the live demo of the Jetset app with a cine camera, an iPhone and the Accsoon device to sync it all up with 3D environments."

The integration potential immediately clicked:

Accurate spatial data + real-time visualization + collaborative access = fundamental workflow transformation.

Real-World Applications

Project 1: Italian Film Location Scouting

Objective: Enable remote film planning for locations in Sutri, Italy, reducing costly travel for director Jeffrey DeChausse and creative team.

Challenge Scope:

Independent film with limited budget for international location visits
Director needed to plan shots and blocking before committing to production
Multiple locations including churches, piazzas, and narrow alleyways
Post-COVID requirements for remote collaboration

Technical Implementation:

2-hour continuous scanning session covering churches, piazzas, and alleyways
The XGRIDS LixelKity K1's lightweight design enabled extended handheld operation
Real-time visual feedback through integrated smartphone interface via LixelGO app

Cinematographer holding the XGRIDS LixelKity K1 spatial camera against a stone wall while checking the phone preview in an alley

LixelGO app showing static initialization on a phone before a LixelKity K1 scan

Operator scanning a historic Sutri street with a phone-mounted scanner for 3D location scouting

Real-time feedback and mission control from LixelGO.

Cinematographer walking with the LixelKity K1 to scan a historic church facade for virtual location scouting

Operator holding the LixelKity K1 handheld scanner in an empty Italian village square

Building Exterior

Scanning the interior of a historic church with the LixelKity K1 to build a 3D digital twin

Building Interior

During his two-hour continuous scanning session, the K1's lightweight design proved essential. "It is relatively lightweight and easy to handhold and walk with for extended periods," Schaefer notes, emphasizing how the tool's accessibility allowed him to operate without specialized technical support. The integrated smartphone app provided real-time visual feedback, ensuring comprehensive coverage of each location.

Cinematographer reviewing captured scans on a laptop at a cafe table with the scanner on a tripod

Scanning an empty piazza with a fountain and clock tower at golden hour using the K1 on a tripod

Key Outcomes:

https://lcc-viewer.xgrids.com/?data=https://da9i2vj1xvtoc.cloudfront.net/prdfr/user-pub/18914674/18914674532029764/2283/PzDelDuomoM.lcc

Lixel CyberColor viewer showing a photorealistic 3D Gaussian Splatting model of the church portico

Reduced international scouting trips
Enabled unlimited virtual location revisits for creative team
Provided 2 cm accuracy for technical measurements
Created remote collaborative planning capability

The results exceeded expectations. Schaefer reduced international scouting trips while enabling unlimited virtual location revisits for the creative team. The 2cm accuracy proved sufficient for technical measurements, but more importantly, it created what DeChausse described as remote collaborative planning capability that had the potential to transform their pre-production approach.

Director's Impact: Jeffrey DeChausse, the project's director, experienced the transformation firsthand: "Initially, I was unsure what to expect, but when Roberto showed me the 3D mapping footage, it sparked an instant brainstorming session. It's like arriving at a location already familiar with the space—the lighting, the size, and the exact gear and crew needed."

Project 2: Harlan Ellison House Documentation

Objective: Create virtual museum tours of the late science fiction writer's extraordinarily detailed home in Hollywood Hills.

3D-documented interior of the Harlan Ellison house packed with books, art and collectibles

Image courtesy: Barry Schwartz, Ellison Wonderland, Office.

Framed-art-covered living room of the Harlan Ellison house captured for cultural preservation

Image courtesy: Barry Schwartz, Ellison Wonderland, Living Room.

Challenge Scope:

Multiple interconnected rooms packed floor-to-ceiling with collectibles
Low-light conditions in several rooms
Need for comprehensive documentation beyond traditional photography

"So much minute detail that it was not easy to capture all of it very well."

Technical Approach:

Used XGRIDS L2 Pro scanner for 6-8 room captures
Discovered optimal techniques through trial: double-pass scanning (high and mid-waist levels), consistent start/end positions per room
Processed data remotely through team collaboration

Results & Insights:

Successfully captured dense visual environments impossible to convey through 2D media
Identified technical limitations: low-light performance, need for supplemental lighting
Validated cultural documentation applications beyond traditional archival methods

"Just because the visual information is so dense... seeing it all on still photos doesn't give you the feeling that you get when actually inhabiting the space"

Lessons Learned:

Scanning methodology critical for complex environments
Processing workflow needs streamlining for file transfer reliability
Technology enables new forms of cultural preservation and access

Technology Advantages

Schaefer's hands-on experience revealed key practical benefits that distinguish this approach from traditional methods. The accessible form factor proved crucial—he could operate the device for extended periods without fatigue or specialized training. Real-time feedback during capture ensured comprehensive coverage, while the direct workflow integration with Jetset demonstrated immediate practical value.

The 2cm precision accuracy met production measurement requirements, but Schaefer sees even greater potential ahead. "I think that integrating a truly accurate camera simulator in the program would be fantastic," he explains. "Then we could navigate the space and set up camera angles, frames and all to really pre-vis the shots in one place." This integration would consolidate location scouting, shot planning, and previsualization into a single workflow.

Workflow Integration Points

XGRIDS 3D workflow diagram from capture and processing to review, planning and film production

Capture: On-location scanning with immediate visual feedback using XGRIDS Lixel Series scanners and LixelGO app
Processing: Remote team processing and file sharing with LCC Studio
Review: Virtual location access for entire creative team
Planning: Shot design and blocking in virtual environment
Production: Reference for on-set execution

Industry Impact & Future Applications

Bridging the Education Gap

The film industry's awareness of 3D Gaussian Splatting remains limited despite its potential. "There's a lot of education that needs to be given to the movie and television business people because they don't understand that you could create using the Gaussian splats... what you can put on that wall," Schaefer observes. While virtual production LED walls have gained acceptance, few understand how reality capture can enhance these workflows.

Transforming Team Collaboration

Schaefer envisions a fundamental shift in how creative teams work together. "The splats give us, the filmmaking team (director, DP, production and costume designers, AD, UPM) the ability to virtually visit and revisit locations," he explains. The precision matters too: "With the great accuracy of the splats and the ability to make accurate measurements... we can return many times to any location without leaving the production office."

Integration Opportunities

The technology's future lies in seamless workflow integration. Schaefer specifically sees potential for game controller navigation to make virtual scouting more intuitive, camera simulation within the LCC viewer for precise shot planning, and integration with established tools like the Artemis viewfinder app that cinematographers already use daily.

The Path Forward

Roberto Schaefer's experience validates 3D Gaussian Splatting as a practical solution for cinematography challenges beyond typical virtual production applications. His projects demonstrate clear value in location scouting, team collaboration, and cultural documentation.

"The gaussian splats opened a new idea to me of how to communicate with the entire production team on a movie in a convenient and rapid way but keeping accuracy and the reality of the space easily reachable," Schaefer reflects. This communication breakthrough extends across the entire production lifecycle: "That would go for initial scouting, pre-production, construction of sets and eventually pre-vis the shoot as well as have a complete usable file for any kind of reshoot or additional setups that needed to be done after principal photography or the sets were dismantled or unavailable."

Key Insights:

Technology enables new forms of remote creative collaboration
2cm accuracy meets production measurement requirements
Handheld operation accessible to cinematographers and crew other members without specialized training
Integration potential with existing pre-visualization workflows

Industry Opportunity: The combination of technical accuracy, intuitive operation, and collaborative capabilities positions 3DGS as an enabling technology for established professionals seeking practical solutions to persistent production challenges.

As Schaefer concludes: "Eventually we always want to be in the real space when filming, but this could speed up and help stimulate the creative process."

This case study is based on interviews and field testing conducted by Roberto Schaefer, ASC, AIC, between 2024-2025, documenting early adoption of XGRIDS 3D Gaussian Splatting technology in professional cinematography applications.